deltaVision
Jul 21 — German component supplier deltaVision raised **€10.2 million** (approximately **$11 million**) to develop in-orbit refueling technology for satellites.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-07-24
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-07-24.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Whipsmart Ventures
Jul 23 — Mark Matossian, former executive, co-founded Whipsmart Ventures, a new venture capital firm focused on funding space and deep tech startups.
Poland / IRIS²
Jul 23 — The Polish government committed **$745 million** to the development of the European Union's IRIS² multi-orbital satellite constellation project.
UK Space Agency
Jul 21 — The UK committed **£62 million** into domestic space capabilities to support national space sector development.
ESA / ispace
Jul 24 — The European Space Agency committed **€65 million** (approximately **$70 million**) to support Europe's first lunar ice rover, MAGPIE, in partnership with ispace.
deltaVision
Jul 21 — deltaVision raised **€10.2 million** to scale production of spacecraft propulsion components, marking a significant capital raise for the propulsion technology provider.
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
Space Development Agency
Jul 21 — The U.S. Space Development Agency awarded contracts worth up to **$1.75 billion** total to two companies for the development of **36 satellites** for the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile-defense initiative.
NASA
Jul 23 — NASA's SunRISE mission was reassigned from ULA's Vulcan Centaur to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for launch, marking another launch vehicle swap for the space weather mission.
Jul 23 — NASA revealed the nuclear-powered SkyFall Mars sample return mission carries an estimated **$2 billion** price tag, featuring three helicopters for sample retrieval.
Jul 23 — NASA programs are experiencing effects from workforce reductions as the agency undergoes organizational changes under Administrator Jared Isaacman.
U.S. Air Force
Jul 24 — The U.S. Air Force took over the troubled military GPS receiver program, addressing ongoing development and procurement challenges.
FCC
Jul 22 — The Federal Communications Commission approved sweeping space regulatory reforms while clearing additional C-band spectrum for 5G use, balancing satellite and terrestrial communications needs.
Jul 21 — The FCC is exploring opening Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frequency bands (2.4 GHz) for satellite use, potentially enabling direct-to-device connectivity for IoT applications.
Office of Space Commerce
Jul 24 — The U.S. Office of Space Commerce announced plans to move ahead with mission authorization framework development for commercial space activities.
U.S. Space Force
Jul 20 — The U.S. Space Force announced a procurement effort seeking up to **$30 billion** in rocket launch services to support expanded national security space operations.
UK and Florida
Jul 21 — The United Kingdom and the state of Florida jointly committed **$400,000** to fund collaborative space technology projects, strengthening transatlantic space industry ties.
SpaceX / ULA
Jul 20 — The Department of Defense added **$11.4 billion** to National Security Space Launch (NSSL) contracts, expanding the government's commitment to assured access to space for critical national security payloads.
AMOS
Jul 22 — Belgium's AMOS was selected by French aerospace research agency ONERA to build PROVIDENCE, a **2.5-metre** ground-based space surveillance telescope for the French Air and Space Force. The telescope is expected to enter service in early **2029**.
Lite Coms
Jul 22 — Lite Coms received a **$22 million** contract from an unnamed government and defense customer to provide satellite communications to support operational readiness.
Frequency Electronics
Jul 23 — Frequency Electronics reported **$18 million** in recent contract wins, including an **$11 million** award from an undisclosed major aerospace prime contractor to support a proliferated satellite program.
L3Harris
Jul 22 — L3Harris delivered **four RS-25 core stage engines** to NASA for the crewed Artemis III lunar mission, advancing the Space Launch System program toward the first lunar landing since Apollo.
NNSA / U.S. Space Force
Jul 23 — The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) delivered the **fifth** next-generation Global Burst Detector (GBD) payload to the U.S. Space Force for GPS integration, continuing a program to detect nuclear detonations from orbit.
UK Space Agency
Jul 20 — The UK Space Agency missed a deadline to award a **£75.6 million** contract for the country's first mission to capture and remove dead satellites from low Earth orbit. The Phase 3 contract was initially expected by March 30, 2026.
Jul 23 — The UK Space Agency unveiled a **£62 million** domestic space fund alongside a **£300,000** joint fund with Space Florida, aimed at supporting UK space companies and fostering transatlantic collaboration.
Poland / European Commission
Jul 21 — Poland formalized its participation in Europe's IRIS² constellation and agreed to increase its contribution by more than **€150 million**, doubling its commitment to **€656 million** (**$749 million**) to build **12 satellites** (six in MEO and six in LEO) using EU recovery funds.
FCC
Jul 22 — The FCC approved a new C-band auction that will see satellite operators clear **160 megahertz** of the upper C-band spectrum, building on the previous successful C-band clearing auction.
Jul 22 — The FCC approved an overhaul of its space and earth station licensing process, implementing a new 'licensing assembly line' approach to streamline satellite authorizations and replace the existing processing framework.
Department of Commerce
Jul 24 — The Department of Commerce took a step toward helping companies obtain government certification to conduct novel activities in space, advancing the mission authorization framework after years of Congressional and administrative delays.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
NASA / SpaceX
Jul 21 — NASA partnered with SpaceX to equip the Artemis III Orion spacecraft with Starlink laser communications terminals for high-definition 4K video transmissions and data-heavy mission downlinks from lunar orbit.
Lunar Outpost / NVIDIA
Jul 24 — Lunar Outpost announced plans to fly NVIDIA computing chips to the Moon on its Pegasus and Eagle rovers, bringing advanced AI and computing capabilities to the lunar surface.
Contrivian
Jul 21 — Contrivian completed its merger with networking software company Big Network, creating what the company describes as a vertically integrated, multi-modal connectivity platform. The merger was first announced earlier in 2026.
ICEYE
Jul 23 — ICEYE and KT SAT established a strategic partnership to offer flood monitoring solutions in South Korea to government and commercial organizations, marking the first deployment of ICEYE Solutions in the country.
ALL.SPACE
Jul 23 — ALL.SPACE's Hydra MAX terminal received certification for SES O3b mPOWER multi-orbit network, enabling the terminal to access SES's MEO constellation for high-throughput connectivity.
IHI Corporation
Jul 22 — IHI Corporation and Kuva Space partnered to provide hyperspectral intelligence across Japan and East Asia, extending Kuva's Earth observation capabilities into the Asian market.
Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper)
Jul 21 — Amazon Leo extended its African footprint to South Africa through a partnership with local ISP Herotel, expanding Project Kuiper's planned service coverage on the continent.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
CASC / China
Jul 24 — A Chinese Long March 3B rocket was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but successfully placed the Tianlian-2 06 satellite in orbit. Separately, Kinetica-1 launched **5 satellites** to orbit.
Orienspace
Jul 22 — China's Gravity-1, the world's most powerful solid rocket, completed its third mission by launching **9 satellites** to orbit from a ship at sea off Shanghai.
SpaceX
Jul 21 — SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV-1) on a Falcon 9 rocket, a spacecraft designed to extend the operational life of aging satellites through in-orbit servicing.
Jul 21 — A Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched **24 Starlink satellites** from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, one day after aborting its first launch attempt.
Jul 23 — SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch was moved to Friday, July 24, due to weather conditions after an earlier attempt was postponed.
Skyroot Aerospace
Jul 19 — India's first privately developed rocket, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, successfully reached orbit on its dramatic debut launch, marking a historic milestone for India's commercial space sector.
International Space Station
Jul 22 — The Soyuz MS-29 crew arrived at the International Space Station, increasing the crew complement by three members. A U.S. EVA successfully completed repairs to the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
SpaceX
Jul 21 — SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) with Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the start of a decade-long robotic servicing mission in geosynchronous orbit. The MRV features the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and DARPA.
Jul 21 — SpaceX launched the Starlink 17-39 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, deploying **24** Starlink satellites. The mission was SpaceX's **85th** Falcon 9 launch of the year, following a rare last-second abort the previous day.
Jul 23 — SpaceX prepared for a second attempt to launch Starship Flight 13 on July 24, following a launch abort and delays from Tropical Storm Bertha. The 90-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. CDT.
Viasat
Jul 22 — Viasat successfully deployed the reflector and boom assembly on ViaSat-3 F3 ahead of in-orbit testing, advancing the satellite toward operational status for its coverage region.
ESA
Jul 24 — Two new satellites officially joined Europe's Galileo satellite navigation constellation, strengthening its capabilities, resilience, and autonomy. **Four** Galileo First Generation satellites remain to be launched, with the next pair planned for late 2026.
Skyroot Aerospace
Jul 20 — Skyroot Aerospace reached orbit on its maiden 'Vikram-1' flight, making India the **third nation** with private orbital launch capability after the United States and China.
OrienSpace
Jul 24 — China's 'Gravity-1' rocket launched **nine payloads** into orbit from the East China Sea, continuing the country's sea-launch capabilities and demonstrating commercial launch flexibility.
Industry Context
European Union
Jul 24 — The European Union delayed the public release of Copernicus satellite imagery over the Gulf of Oman, citing unspecified sensitivities amid geopolitical tensions in the region.
U.S. Intelligence Community
Jul 23 — A proposed Intelligence Authorization Act includes provisions to limit commercial Earth observation data access, raising concerns about restricting publicly available satellite imagery.
Space Foundation
Jul 22 — The global space economy reached **$686 billion** in value, according to the Space Foundation's latest annual report analyzing commercial, civil, and military space activity.
U.S. Space Force
Jul 22 — The outgoing chief of the U.S. Space Force warned in his final public speech that if space warfare erupts, 'none of us will be able to avoid the war zone,' emphasizing the universal impact of conflict extending to orbit.
UK Government
Jul 22 — The UK government scrapped the department previously responsible for overseeing the UK Space Agency, triggering uncertainty about future organizational structure and space policy.
Thales Alenia Space
Jul 23 — Thales space division reported growing sales and profit despite a **$174.5 million** cost from the cancellation of two satellites for SES. The company confirmed progression on the EU's multi-billion euro IRIS² sovereign satellite constellation program.
Jul 23 — France and Germany's ministerial meeting lauded IRIS² as 'Europe's digital backbone' and called for **2-GHz spectrum** to be reserved for the constellation, signaling strong political support for European space sovereignty.
Airbus Defence and Space
Jul 21 — Airbus announced that its Space division's rebound is surpassing internal company forecasts, indicating stronger-than-expected performance in the satellite manufacturing and space systems business.
AT&T
Jul 22 — AT&T stated it does not need a wholesale deal with a satellite constellation for direct-to-device (D2D) services, asserting that satellite D2D serves only **2%** of the market and is not a strategic priority for the carrier.
SpaceX
Jul 20 — Analysis examined SpaceX's inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index, with commentary questioning whether the company is 'terribly overpriced' and what it means for investors holding index funds with exposure to the private space giant.
Jul 23 — SpaceX's 'Starmind' AI satellite megaconstellation was highlighted as part of the trend of orbital data centers taking shape, with implications for the future of space-based computing and silicon demand.
LTN
Jul 23 — LTN crossed **3,000** satellite-to-IP migrations following FCC action on upper C-band spectrum, demonstrating the scale of transition from traditional satellite distribution to IP-based delivery in the broadcast industry.
NASA
Jul 22 — NASA joined the Federal Genesis Mission initiative to process **150 petabytes** of space data via AI architectures, representing a major commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence for space science data analysis.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence
Jul 20 — The Netherlands launched its Space Command under the Air and Space Force, establishing a dedicated military organization for space operations and joining other European nations in formalizing space defense structures.
Azercosmos
Jul 24 — Azercosmos launched Azerbaijan's first national space incubation program, aiming to support satellite data startups and foster a domestic space entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Additional Updates
Relativity Space
Jul 22 — Relativity Space announced plans to expand Terran R rocket production capabilities in Florida, supporting development of its medium-heavy lift reusable launch vehicle.
Vast
Jul 22 — Vast Space established a dedicated division for national security projects, appointing Melanie Stricklan to lead efforts targeting government and defense contracts for commercial space stations.
Airbus Defence and Space
Jul 23 — Airbus's space business reported strong performance, capitalizing on growing global demand for satellite systems including the Aeolus-2 wind-monitoring satellite.
Zenno Astronautics
Jul 21 — Zenno Astronautics announced plans to relocate its operations to the United States from its current location, citing business and market access opportunities.
Northrop Grumman
Jul 21 — Northrop Grumman added additional charges to its Vulcan solid rocket motor program, reflecting continued cost overruns on the development contract with United Launch Alliance.
Agile Space Industries
Jul 21 — Agile Space Industries announced the appointment of a new Chief Technology Officer and board member to support the company's propulsion technology development.
KBR
Jul 21 — KBR reorganized its defense technology business unit to better pursue Golden Dome missile defense contracts and other national security space opportunities.
Eutelsat
Jul 24 — FCC filings revealed Eutelsat is developing a new **528-satellite constellation** beyond its existing OneWeb network, expanding its LEO broadband ambitions.
China / Shijian-31
Jul 22 — China's Shijian-31 satellite is conducting a unique survey of geostationary orbit using an unusual orbital pattern, raising questions about its space situational awareness mission.
NASA Artemis
Jul 22 — Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover publicly advocated for landing future Artemis missions at the lunar equator rather than the south pole, citing safety and accessibility advantages over the currently planned polar landing sites.
Commercial Space Federation
Jul 21 — The Commercial Space Federation welcomed three new associate members to its industry advocacy organization as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Iridium
Jul 22 — Iridium reported a **5.8%** increase in subscribers and **4%** revenue growth (**$225.2 million**) in Q2 2026, on the eve of its pending acquisition by Rocket Lab. The financial results demonstrate continued operational momentum amid the M&A process.
Intellian
Jul 23 — Intellian released the CM100 GMDSS terminal built for Iridium's Certus 100 maritime safety service, expanding its maritime terminal portfolio for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
Nvidia
Jul 23 — Nvidia announced plans to send GPUs to the moon, continuing its strategy of extending its computing hardware presence to space environments for edge AI and computational applications.
ESA
Jul 20 — ESA's Plato terrestrial planet hunter completed key electromagnetic compatibility tests, advancing the mission toward its planned launch to search for exoplanets.
Jul 22 — ESA's first Chemical Propulsion Laboratory (CPL) for testing small propulsion systems became operational, providing European access to dedicated facilities for small satellite propulsion qualification.
Jul 22 — ESA analysis highlighted that improved reporting is needed on forest carbon emissions, with satellite data from 2005-2024 showing discrepancies between tropical forest degeneration/regeneration and official reporting.
Vast
Jul 23 — Vast announced two new appointments as it pivots toward U.S. national security missions, signaling a strategic shift in the commercial space station company's business focus.
TTTech
Jul 21 — TTTech appointed Eddie Myers to accelerate growth in its aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure businesses, strengthening leadership as the company expands in space-qualified computing systems.
Satellite Industry Association
Jul 23 — Global law firm Holland & Knight joined the Satellite Industry Association as the newest Affiliate Member, expanding the trade group's membership base.
Jul 21 — U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc. (USEI) joined the Satellite Industry Association as the newest Associate Member, adding to SIA's roster of satellite communications technology providers.